


Volomag and Vodka

by chantalis



Series: Everyone's Dating Each Other And That Went About As Well As You'd Expect [2]
Category: Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-28
Updated: 2020-10-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:40:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27242083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chantalis/pseuds/chantalis
Summary: Essentially? Voight dealing with everyone dating each other. Also, Burgess didn't miscarry in my world, so that's still happening.Volomag is a pain medication similar to aspirin, please do NOT take volomag ad vodka at the same time, your liver may not be able to process both and you could die.
Relationships: Jay Halstead/Hailey Upton, Kevin Atwater/Vanessa Rojas, Kim Burgess/Adam Ruzek, Randy ''Mouch'' McHolland/Trudy Platt
Series: Everyone's Dating Each Other And That Went About As Well As You'd Expect [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2023022
Comments: 7
Kudos: 36





	1. 1

Living with one of your coworkers was... Interesting to say the least. Hailey was just happy that Rojas wasn’t also her partner otherwise they would see way too much of each other and wouldn’t have the sister bond they’re working so hard on forming. When Hailey left earlier, to go have breakfast with Jay, Vanessa didn’t think anything of it. It was becoming more and more common for her to wake up to a note on the fridge saying that Hailey was somewhere doing something with Jay. They were partners, had survived a lot together, were totally in love with each other, and they refused to acknowledge their own feelings. So Vanessa found it odd in no way at all. It was one fateful Friday morning that something was different. A short but precise note was left on the fridge in Hailey’s swirly writing, but something was, not out of place, somewhere it was not supposed to be. In direct sightline from the coffee maker, in the little nook that heralds the washer and dryer, was a basket that held Hailey’s dry load from last night that hadn’t been folded yet on top of said dryer. Even with the distance between Vanessa and the article of clothing, the fact that it still slightly crumpled up, and only pieces of it were visible from the voids between the white plastic, she could clearly recognize the shirt. The faded dark green cotton t-shirt with grey lettering stood out like a sore thumb amongst Hailey’s red, blue, and black clothes. The same t-shirt Halstead wore the first time Vanessa went to watch the Blackhawks game at Ruzek’s place for the first team game night. His army rangers t-shirt.

It happened more and more over the next couple of months, Jay staying over and sleeping with Hailey, in her bed, and at least him but usually both being gone by the time Vanessa got up. She’d woken up or come back late and peeked in Hailey’s room enough times to see them dead asleep, wrapped in each other, and fully clothed. She started listening out for them, to see if they were doing anything... Eventful. But nope. She heard them, but they never had sex. Or did anything even remotely steamy. There was only a thin wall between Vanessa and Hailey’s rooms, she could hear everything but the specifics. She could hear talking, murmuring, laughing, and oddly enough, singing. From both of them. She didn’t know what was going on, but she had never seen either of them so well-rested. And apparently, she wasn’t the only one. 

Kim was asking her if she had a boyfriend, “no, no boyfriend. Just a new pillow.” Jay, who’d been pretending not to listen raised an amused eyebrow at Hailey, and action that was only noticed by Hailey and Vanessa. And the guys ribbed Jay about finally getting laid. “She must be real special if she’s making you smile.”

“Huh?”

“Ruz is right, you’ve been smiling more, you’re definitely seeing someone.”

“And getting laid.”

“RUZ.”

“Guys,” Jay interrupted the beginning of an argument, “I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I’m not seeing someone. Or getting any.”

“What? No way man, I don’t buy it. You definitely have an ‘I just had mind-blowing sex’ vibe about you.”

“You know I don’t get the chance to say this often, but Ruzek is right.” 

“HEY!”

“Seriously guys. I’m not hooking up with anybody, haven’t for a while actually, I’m just sleeping better.”

“Really?”

“How?”

“I got a different bed.” That last line made Hailey inhale her coffee.

Around New Years, Jay went to spend his vacation time with the other Halstead in New York. Leaving Hailey without her bedtime companion. This resulted in the blonde woman falling asleep everywhere that wasn’t her bed. Seriously, she fell asleep in Vanessa’s bed once. This time Vanessa found her asleep on the couch, the TV still playing Wonder Woman. There had been a new addition to Hailey’s regular wardrobe. A chain, the pendant or whatever was on it, was tucked underneath her shirt. The chain wasn’t one you’d usually find with a necklace, one of those bumpy ones that were usually reserved for dog tags. When Vanessa found Hailey sleeping on the couch on January second, she found that she was right. The metal had fallen out from under her shirt due to her position, and when Vanessa pulled a blanket around her she got a good look at them.

Halstead, Jay  
1234567890  
AB NEG  
CATHOLIC

Hailey Upton was wearing a set of Jay’s dog tags. She was shocked, so shocked it left her trembling. She was shaking as she took out her phone to snap a picture. She quickly retreated, to move the photo into a locked folder. If whatever they were got out, it wasn’t going to be through her. Once she calmed herself down fury started to cocoon her. Hailey was fucking awesome, had a fucking terrible childhood, and Vanessa was going to be damned if that fucker didn’t know what he had. So she called him. “Listen up you adicto al gel para el cabelo-“

“Rojas?”

“Don’t you dare interrupt me Halstead o juro por Dios que volare a Nuevo York y te amenazare en persona.”

“I’m sure that you have a very good reason to be threatening me- are you threatening me? It feels like you’re threatening me- in Spanish but it’s three am.”

“I don’t know what you and Hailey are doing but if you hurt her I’ll rip off your balls and turn them into a pair of earrings and give them to Hailey on her birthday. Are we clear?”

“... Yes.”

“Bueno.”

“We- we’re not...”

“Hm?”

“We’re not sleeping together- well, okay, we’re sleeping together- but it’s JUST sleep. Not sex. Just sleep. Cuddling. And eating together... and stuff. Just, uh, not sex. I’m telling the truth. Promise.”

“I know.”

“How did you find out?”

“Lot’s of little hints. What really solidified it was seeing your dog tags around her neck.”

“Oh. Yeah. Those were part of her Christmas gift. Just... I wanted her to know that she’s important to me.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t hurt her, she doesn’t deserve that.”

“I know. I won’t.” Then she hung up, he got the message, and Vanessa really didn’t want to hear him stutter in her ear anymore.


	2. Dunder Mifflin Meets Intelligence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hailey and Vanessa channel their inner Jim Halpert to cheer up Kim.

Whoever coined the term ‘morning sickness’ deserves a slow and painful death. Kim thought bitterly as she was hugging the toilet at ten at night. “Kim? I made you some ginger tea and I got you a glass of water.”

“I fucking love you.”All Adam could do was laugh as he sat on the edge of the bathtub and gathered Kim’s hair in one hand and rubbed his hand up and down her back. Kim let out a grateful hum before her stomach lurched again. The gruesome sound of Kim spewing more stomach acid (because let’s face it, there’s nothing else left for her to throw up) into the porcelain toilet bowl. 

Several minutes later Kim felt better, not good, but better. She felt okay enough to get off the floor. She stood up and grabbed the glass of water Adan had brought her from the sink counter and washed out her mouth before grabbing her toothbrush to complete the process of removing the acidic bitterness from her mouth. By the time she raised the mug of tea to her lips it was cold. “Thank you, Adam. For everything.” Her eyes met his in the mirror as he came up behind her to wrap his arms around her middle. “No thanks are necessary. This feels like a dream come true.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I... I don’t think that I’ve been this happy in a long time. I know that we’ve had our issues, but I love you. I have for years. Even when we broke up, I can’t stop. Even if I wanted to.”

“I love you too.” And she did. She might not know where she stands with him right now, she might not want to be labelled as his girlfriend right now, but she does love him. Dating after Adam was hard because she was always comparing them. No matter who they were or how much she tried to stop it, none of them came even close to the bar that Adam had raised. “C’mon,” he kissed the crown of her head, “let’s go to bed, we’ve got work in the morning and you might wake up a few more times in the night.” She smiled softly as he guided her towards her bedroom.

They hadn’t moved in together, but they were looking for a place. Three bedrooms. One for the baby, and one per adult. Adam and Kim, they had such a dramatic history, that they weren’t actually sure how to handle it. They wanted to have this baby, they wanted to parent together, they just weren’t sure if they should be in a relationship while doing so. It was a complicated situation, but they were doing their best to make it work.

————————————————————————————————————

The next day Kim was standing behind the desk at the 21st district. It was a... Unique change, because despite her bubbly personality, she’d managed to be grumpier than Trudy was behind the desk. It had absolutely nothing to do with the work, the officers, or the civilians, and everything to do with her pregnancy symptoms. Nausea and soreness kept her awake at night, causing her to be exhausted and in need of coffee, but she can’t have coffee! And on top of all that, people were constantly bringing food in that thrust her into a constant state of “if I don’t keep my mouth closed I’m going to hurl on everything in front of me, yes I have tried ginger ale, saltines, and ginger tea, and no, none of them have worked”. She was excited to be a mom but she was ready to behead somebody.

“Hey mama, how are you holding up?” Trudy, yes she was letting Kim call her by her first name now, had become her saving grace. Since Kim was covering the desk Trudy was free to do work in the back office and go on patrol. In return, Trudy was making sure Kim always water, Gatorade, and Polish beef barley soup (it was the only thing that didn’t make her hurl). “I haven’t disintegrated anyone with a glare today, so good.”

“Ha! Well, I brought another blue raspberry one for you. I’m gonna head out with Tay for the day since O’Donnel is out sick today.”

“I’m so glad that you were able to get her assigned to 21 again. I missed her.”

“Spare me the love fest, Burgess.” Her tone may have been snappy but the smile on her face and light in her eyes gave away just how happy she was. “Have a good day Sargent.”

“You too.”

————————————————————————————————————

Hailey and Vanessa had been keeping her up to date with all the goofiness of intelligence. All the jokes and all the pranks. When they noticed that Kim looked like she was going to cry, scream, and throw up, they figured they should do something to cheer her up. And since nothing ridiculously funny was happening on its own, they decided to make it happen, with some inspiration from one Jim Halpert.

First, they decided to try one of Vanessa’s favourites. The vending machine prank. They grabbed all of the small knick-knacks from the guys’ desks (excluding Voight because they didn’t have a death wish) and convinced the vending machine guy to let them put them in the vending machine. Adam’s Groot bobblehead, name plaque, and Chicago Bears bouncy ball, in places C4, D2, and H7 respectively. Kevin’s Chicago Blackhawks hockey puck, large globe pencil sharpener, and small Chicago bears teddy bear, in places A6, I3, and F2. Jay’s magic 8 ball, Deadpool figurine, and ‘cereal killer’ spoon, in places G5, D9, and A3.

Second, they moved Kevin’s desk into the bathroom. Phones, computers all plugged in. And aside from the items in the vending machine, all were where they normally were on Kevin’s desk. Vanessa even placed all of his files in order and each spine of the folder a couple of centimetres forward each level. So it looked kind of like a staircase made of folders, and that was how he always did it, according to Vanessa. That earned the dark-haired woman a knowing chuckle from Hailey who, Vanessa reminded, really didn’t have room to talk.

Third, they moved Jay’s desk into the corner of the bullpen, where Al’s used to be, and put a large navy blanket over it. Figuring that was enough to keep his desk out of sight. Together, with some scrap wood from one bewildered Matt Casey, they wrapped the pieces of wood together in such a way that they imitated a desk, a chair, a computer monitor, a phone (that one was a pain), his file divider, pencil cup, pencils and pens, and stacks of files. They were both so proud when they got to look at the finished product.

Fourth, Hailey had gone to a hardware store and gotten a spool of red wire. She plugged on end into Adam’s monitor before placing the wiring with tape along the front of his desk, the floor, all around the edge of the break room, out into the bullpen again, before going down the hallway to the interrogation room, up the wall across from the gun safes, attached to a plastic tub filled with neon coloured ping pong balls. This one went a little off-script, but they were both excited to see how it would turn out.

Fifth and finally, they took the containers out of the fridge that they had made first so that the contents would have time to solidify. Taking off the lids of the three containers, the two women flipped them over quickly onto plates. Thankfully the jello stayed completely intact, each confection clearly showing the mugs inside.

Giggling they stood back and high-fived, feeling good and excited for the next day. A heavy cough interrupted them from their internal praise and sense of accomplishment. “Sargent. Hi. What are you doing here so late? We don’t have a case.”

“I was about to ask you two ladies the same thing Upton.” The two women looked at each other and sighed, knowing they were caught, Hailey answered.

“We were setting up pranks for the guys.”

“Don’t you two think that’s a bit childish?”

“It’s to cheer Kim up. She’s been so stressed, and the pregnancy symptoms have been so awful that we thought she needed a good laugh. Plus, it’s not like the guys will get mad at us. Adam and Kevin will go puppy-eyed once they realize this was all for Kim, and Jay’s in love with Hailey so he won’t be mad at her, and he can’t be mad at me if he isn’t mad at her since we came up with all of this together.”

“Hey! He doesn’t... Whatever,” she muttered when she saw the look Voight gave her, “Plus, we didn’t do anything that involved your office, your stuff, or you.”

“... Alright. At least there’ll be some entertainment to distract from the boredom of spending all day doing paperwork. Now get out of here, get some sleep, you have to be back here in five hours.”

————————————————————————————————————

“... Where is my desk?”

“Forget that, why is mine wrapped up like some kind of present?”

“Mine looks fine... But different? Does that even make sense?”

“I’m gonna need coffee if I’m gonna deal with whatever the fuck this is.”

“Start a big pot, Kev.”

“Hey what is this red wire? And duct tape?”

“It’s a computer, Ruzek. It has wires.”

“Thank you for your sarcasm Rojas, but seriously, what is going on? And why are your and Hailey’s desks normal?” Hailey pulled out her phone and started recording Adam as he unplugged the red wire and pulling it up. The duct tape came up with a sticky ripping sound. Everyone watched closely and angeled themselves to get a better look as the tape lifted up from the bullpen floor and continued into the breakroom, Adam growled in frustration as he exited the breakroom pulling the wire up just after he had entered and gone in a circle. Everyone followed him curiously as he went down the hall to the interrogation room, just as Jay was about to shout out an agitated question, the tape went up the wall. When Adam gave a final tug, the last bit of tape came off the wall, but he’d also pulled the rest of the wire, at what it was connected to, down to him. Causing started gasps and shouts from the guys as 100 neon ping-pong balls rained down from the ceiling all over them. “Okay seriously, what was that?!” Hailey, Vanessa, and Voight were all in the background enjoying the show.

“Wait, wait... Do you hear that?” The shouts stopped and everyone strained their ears to listen to what Kevin was pointing out. A desk phone ringing. From the men’s bathroom. Voight subtly took Hailey’s phone to continue the recording. “What the hell?!” Kevin, Adam, and Jay had found Kevin’s desk in the bathroom. Looking confused as hell he looked to his brothers before picking up the phone. “... Hello? Oh, hi Vinessa. Listen I’m gonna have to call you back, something’s going on at work. I love you okay? Say ‘hi’ to auntie for me... Okay, I’ll tell Kim you say ‘hi’. Bye.” He hung up the phone before sitting down and stretching his arms out over his desk. Almost nothing is out of place. “What the ACTUAL fuck?! And where is my hockey puck?!”

“Okay, now I’m even more curious as to why my desk is wrapped up like a birthday present.” Numbly nodding their heads all the men left the bathroom and cornered Jay’s desk. Vanessa had Hailey’s phone and she watched with her boss and roommate as they did their best not to blow their cover. Jay shook his head, puzzled at the state of his desk before putting his arm on his desk and plopping down in his chair... Everything immediately collapsed. Leaving the girls pushing back tears as Jay tried to stand up in the sea of slippery wrapping paper and wood. “Fucking hell someone please tell me that the coffee is done.” He looked like Bambi on ice trying to get up as Kevin hollered from the breakroom, “pot’s done! And thank fucking God for that! Hey! Why is my hockey puck in the vending machine?!” Hailey and Jay followed the crowd in last, Hailey having to help her partner get up. They entered and Adam looked like he was about to blow a gasket. “My name plaque! Groot! Who- Why would someone do this?!”

“Who the fuck put Deadpool in the vending machine?! And where is my desk?!”

Taking shaky breaths all the boys muttered the holy word; “coffee.” Kevin went to get the creamer when he stopped dead in his tracks. Three thuds later, and each of the boys’ favourite mugs were on the counter, floating in piss yellow jello. “Why is my mug in jello?”

“I washed these last night! First the ping-pong balls and now this?!” Adam reached into the jello and pulled his mug out, the jiggly substance still visible inside the mug. The two pranksters (and witness) burst into tear-jerking laughter. Hailey snatched her phone back and sloppily emailed the video to Kim before the boys could stop her. “O-oh - oh m-y- Fu- HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” 

“You two did this?!” The girls quickly got off the floor and hauled ass to the women’s bathroom. The lock clicked just as the guys reached the door. “Hey!” 

“Get out here now!”

“What did we do to deserve this?!” Their voices were lost in a mixture of laughter and yelling. Hailey and Vanessa were curled up on the floor hugging their stomachs and each other as the laughter became painful. 

Suddenly the yelling stopped, and their boss’ voice made its way to the two hyenas. “I think it’s time to explain, ladies.” They took deep breaths, their laughter finally coming to an end. They untangled themselves and stood up, but didn’t dare leave the sanctuary of the ladies’ room. “Kim’s been really sad lately. We wanted to cheer her up.”

“And you thought that pranking us was the best way to do it, Hailey?!”

“Yeah, Jay. We all get a kick from joking around now and then, and she’s told Vanessa and I numerous times that sending pics and videos of funny work mishaps brightens her day.”

“We just wanted her to smile again, guys. She constantly looks like she’s about to burst into tears or rip someone’s throat out with her teeth.”

“... Fair enough. I know that this has been hard for everyone, but Kim and I really appreciate your support.” The click of the lock and squeeze of the door had Jay looking into the delighted eyes of his favourite person and... he wasn’t angry. He’d calmed down when they were talking about Kim, but seeing Hailey smile? Really, truly smile? He’d do anything for that. Vanessa stepped out of the way, and into Kevin as Jay wrapped Hailey in his arms, tucking his face into the crook of her neck. 

“Kim is my best friend.”

“Hey!”

“Shut it, Adam. Kim is my best friend. Thanks for caring about her.”

“Don’t thank me, it was really, really fun.” And just like that, the intense emotional mood was broken. Causing laughter, from everyone this time, to reign supreme.

“As much as I love this... I’ll call it team bonding and get HR paperwork on hand, we have a desk day today. And we all need to work. So let’s put Atwater and Halstead’s desks back in their rightful places.”

“Okay seriously, where did the two of you put my desk, Hails?”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The signature footsteps of Trudy Platt raced up the stairs to the intelligence bullpen, drawing all eyes to her. “Can any of you explain why Kim had to excuse herself to the backroom to roll on the floor laughing?”


	3. 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will's tired of Jay's moping.

Hailey was in New York and it made Jay’s skin crawl. He was without his partner and he didn’t like it. He missed her, it was weird being partnered up with the others, and he refused to work with the temp detective Voight had rangled into district 21. 

The stress was making him lose sleep. Causing him to be late to breakfast with Will. He smirked once he saw Jay, well-aware of the side-effects of Hailey withdrawal. “Shut up Will.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“You were thinking it. I could tell.”

“Is this any way to treat the brother who drove all the way to Greek town for breakfast because you’re missing Hailey?”

“... You already ordered coffee, right?”

“Duh.”

“Thanks, Will.” Jay shook off his jacket almost violently, before carefully pulling out his phone and placing it face-up on the table. He’d been sitting down for less than ten seconds and he’d already checked his phone three times. Will rolled his eyes at his brother’s antics, beyond exhausted with the unresolved romantic tension between his emotionally stunted brother and Hailey. “Just call her, man. Tell her you love her while you’re at it.”

Jay levelled his brother with an unamused look. “Two words; Natalie Manning.”

“Oh fuck you Jay, stop deflecting.”

“I’m not- I’m not deflecting okay? She has to be the one to call me cause... She’s the one who’s in New York. Yeah, she’s the one who’s away so she has to call me. So I have to wait for her to call. She always calls before 8:00 though.”

“... It’s 8:05...”

“You are not helping.” 

“Why help you when I could tease you relentlessly?” Jay’s phone started to vibrate and he jumped out of his chair, vibrating with excitement, only for it all to vanish when he saw it was a text from Ruzek freaking out about pregnancy stuff (how Jay ended up being his soundboard was lost on him). He tossed the phone on the table and ran his hands through his hair and growled. “What if something’s wrong? She’s hurt or missing?”

“Or still naked in bed with a hookup.”

“... Seriously Will, fuck you.”

“You know what? I can actually think of a solution to this.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, it’s really simple too. Call her.”

“Will that’s- I can’t- no- what’re you?-”

“Solving your problem for you.” Will grabbed Jay’s unlocked phone and pushed Jay away with his foot as he searched through his call logs for Hailey. Finding it, he clicked it and waited until she answered with a confused ‘hello?’ before tossing the phone to Jay. All Jay and his panicked, love-stricken, tired mind could think to do was make a bunch of unintelligible noises before hanging up and sitting back in his chair, staring at his phone on the table. A few silent seconds passed between the brothers before Will burst out laughing. Will’s face was turning pink and he was starting to heave, resulting in the waitress delivering their coffees with a raised eyebrow and amused smile. “What the hell was that Jay?!”

“Shut up! I panicked, okay and- OH MY FUCKING HELL SHE’S CALLING ME BACK! What do I do?! Will, stop laughing and HELP me!”


	4. OA and Jelly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OA's in Chicago visiting Hailey and Jay gets jelly.

The army was a turbulent part of Jay’s life. He didn’t have fond memories, but he had fond relationships. Such as Mouse. He had more who just didn’t live in or near Chicago so he didn’t get to see them often. The only time he really saw them was at reunions, both official and unofficial. This time it was an unofficial reunion. One of the other snipers was getting married and invited everyone (who was still alive, Jay thought bitterly).

Jay strolled into Molly’s with Will and Nat the evening before the wedding, eyes scanning for Hailey. When he found her his stomach dropped. He spotted her at a table near the back with a man. Jay moved of his own account, a terrified buzz consuming his form, when he got to the table he recognized him instantly. OA from his unit in the Rangers, and Hailey’s temporary partner in the FBI. Hailey going off and working in New York for three months was the most traumatic thing Jay had gone through in a long time. The only thing that got him through the insomnia, nightmares, food aversion, anxiety, encompassing fear, and panic attacks was the knowledge that the most important person in his life was working with someone who he had personally trained with and knew that said important person was safe. Now though, seeing Hailey laugh at something someone else, some other man, summoned the green-eyed monster. He made it to the table with his jealousy choking him. “Hi-hi guys, what’s up?”

Hailey beamed at him, skin radiant, eyes glowing. “Jay! We were just talking about Chicago pizza, help me prove to this New Yorker that deep dish is best.”

He chuckled softly, taking the seat beside her. “You don’t need my help with that Hails, you have the knowledge and ability to win this argument.” OA scoffed and rolled his eyes, when he froze while looking at Jay briefly and then a smug smirk rolled out on his face. OA turned back to Hailey, leaning across the table thus bringing him closer to the blonde. “Has good ol’ Halstead told you about McGarrett’s wedding tomorrow?”

“Yes he has.”

“Has he asked you to be his date? And if he hasn’t, are you free tomorrow?” Jay’s body went cold as if a vat of liquid nitrogen had been dumped on him. His heart hammered in his chest so hard he could hear it in his ears. He hadn’t asked her to go with him, he hadn’t realized that he was irrevocably, inescapably, inexorably in love with her. He had RSVP’d as attending with a guest, intending for it to be Will who had informed him that he couldn’t come, but Jay just couldn’t bring himself to let the lucky couple know. He was waiting, and while he didn’t know why for a long time, he did now. He’d spent the last two hours with Will and Nat telling him to swallow his fear and ask her to be his date. All of the pep talks flew out of his head. The confidence left his body. OA’s eyed darted over to Jay’s devastated form and guilt briefly flashed in his eyes. “Uh, Jay hasn’t asked me, and I’m not busy tomorrow, but I don’t think we have that kind of relationship-”

“Don’t worry about it Chicago, I was just messing with our favourite Irishman.”

“Right, Jay close your mouth or you’ll catch flies, I am going to get more drinks and order some spicy fries. Jay, you want anything?”

“... Uh, how about a beer and can you place an order of those spicy chicken bites for me?”

“Sure thing, I’ll be right back.”

Hailey skipped over to Stella at the bar and left the men to themselves. “You’re in love with her.” It was a statement, not a question. OA and Jay knew each other well. They had served together. Bonded in the field and in the barracks. Learned each other’s ticks. OA spent seven reunions with Jay and Mouse listening to Jay ramble on and on about Erin. Had been sitting beside him when he decided to propose. So he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Jay felt more for Hailey than he ever had for Erin. He also knew that Hailey was in love with Jay, but wouldn’t be the first one to act on it. It would have to be Jay, but he was scarred too. Yes, OA was attracted to Hailey and would love to explore the possibility of a romantic relationship with her if given the opportunity, but this wasn’t it. She was too in love with Jay and he was too in love with her, this was their time. “I- uh- look- shouldn’t... I think she’s interested in... No. Not- not me. I-”

“Ask her out or I will.” Jay sat there for a few moments, seriously contemplating OA’s words. He couldn’t ask out Hailey just because someone else might, no one, least of all Hailey, deserved that. But he thought about it. He trusted her with his entire being, they took care of each other when they were sick, fell asleep together often, had movie nights, game nights, had meals together, confided in each other, and laughed with one another. His life would be empty without her, something that had been proved when she was sent to New York. He couldn’t live without her, he knew that, but he wanted more. He wanted to kiss her, hold her hand, live with her, marry her, have kids with her. But he knew that all he dreamed about with her needed to start with a date. Or a marriage pact, but that seemed an unlikely and strange scenario. Jay nodded, OA raised his brow. “I will.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OA had driven Hailey over in his rental car, so Jay offered to drive her home when they all needed to leave for the night. Jay was grateful that neither of them had more than two drinks, he couldn’t imagine doing this when Hailey wasn’t sober. Jay climbed out of his truck when he pulled up in front of her house. Hailey smiled, excited that Jay was staying the night again, she always slept better when he was with her. She was confused, however, when he suddenly stopped on her small porch. “Jay?”

“I have been oblivious. And afraid, for so long.”

“About?”

“You.” Hailey sucked in a breath, heart pulsing, her hopes rising. “I am in love with you, there’s no other way to explain or describe the way I feel about you. And I’m happy about it. That the person that I’m in love with is you. And the relationship that I have with you is the one I cherish the most. At the same time, though, I want more. I want to be your boyfriend, then your fiance, then your husband, and then the father of your children. I want it all, with you. And- and I know that I am taking a huge risk, that you probably don’t feel the same way, and that’s okay. But I can’t keep burying this anymore, I am irretrievably in love with you and I have never been more thankful for anything in my entire life.”

Jay had poured his heart out, and it was met with Hailey’s heavy breathing. Jay’s eyes searched hers. He reached out and held her shoulders. The sensation, even through her light blue t-shirt, made her shiver. Jay’s achingly small voice triggered Hailey to finally respond the way she had desperately wanted to the second Rojas confronted her in the hospital waiting room. With her two hands she grabbed the neck of his navy t-shirt and the collar of the plaid shirt overtop. The kiss was all-encompassing. Warm, sparkling, and like a puzzle piece fitting perfectly in both of their souls. “I love you too. Unconditionally.” This lead to more, eager, delighted kissing. When the parted Jay raised his hands from her waist to her face, taking in every detail. “Sooooo... Do you have a guest for the wedding tomorrow?”

“I do if you say yes.”

“Of course yes.”

Jay was going to send OA a muffin basket.


	5. Black Lives Matter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this is so short, but I wanted to get the point across; BLACK LIVES MATTER and the oppression and violence they have faced and continue to face is appalling and needs to end. If you disagree please do not read any of my work, you are not welcome.

Barring Kim because of her pregnancy, the entire intelligence unit was wearing maks and gloves, handing out water, hand sanitizer, and safety glasses to protesters. When they were each emailed and notified that they were expected to work undercover to ‘control’ a Black Lives Matter protest, they felt their hearts break. For black people in general, for the victims of police brutality, for Kevin Atwater, and for their careers for what they were about to do. So each of them called a lawyer, and wrote a formal letter that stated since the order was unlawful they would not be following said order. Each of them sent their statements back to the higher command with Voight backing them up. The entire intelligence unit and Sargent Trudy Platt were immediately suspended without pay, and they each awaited a separate disciplinary hearing. They didn’t care. They would not support this.

Jay was feeling more intense guilt than he usually did over the unlawful arrest and death of Marcus West.

Voight was rethinking his behaviour. Seriously rethinking it. He had an epiphany followed by guilt, he knew that his methods weren’t okay. And if he was being honest with himself, they never were to begin with. So right after he sent his statement to HQ, he took the bolt cutters out of their tool locker and started cutting down the cage. Wire by wire, until there was nothing left but hooks attached to the wall, and four sheets of wire lying on the ground.

The team and Platt came downstairs, one after another, to let their boss know that their statements had been sent.

“We’re done.” His gruff voice imprinted itself into their hearts and the walls of the 21st police district. “We will never go back to that ever again. Now go home, rest up, we’re helping the protesters tomorrow. We’re joining the movement.” With serious nods and determined hearts they left their district and got ready to serve and protect.


	6. FaceTime? More Like HaileyTime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Facetiming Hailey makes Jay very happy... And tolerable to work with.

For Jay the worst part about quarantine wasn’t being locked up with Will, it was being away from Hailey. Intelligence had heard from her just as it was starting to get worse, that because New York was a hot spot, Hailey wasn’t going to be returning to Chicago for a while. This spiralled him into a mood, he was pouting all the time, looking at Hailey’s desk longingly, glaring at the temp. Jay had been staring out of the window, looking like a kicked puppy, and Kim was done. “Okay, that’s it!” Everyone in the bullpen turned to her, confused as she whipped out her phone and started facetime someone.

“Hi Kim, how’s-”

“Jay’s moping. Fix him.” Was all she said before tossing her phone to Jay. “Jay?”

He straightened his shoulders and his expression softened out the creases made by his constant frowning. “Don’t listen to Kim, I haven’t been-”

“Yes he has.” No one in Intelligence even had to look up, each and every one of them completely over his kicked puppy routine.

Hailey quirked her eyebrow at him in the teasing manner he loved so much. “Okay, so maybe I miss you a bit.”

He was met with a chorus of scoffs and eye rolls. “... Or a lot. It’s just not the same without you here, and you were supposed to come home a week ago. I know that it because of the pandemic and all...”

“Don’t worry, Jay I miss you a lot too.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Do you know a guy who goes by ‘OA’ from your Ranger days?”

“Yeah, we weren’t in the same regiment but we were in specialized training together. Why?”

“He’s the guy I’m partnered with. He’s nice, but he’s not you, so I didn’t really want to talk about him. But today we were talking at lunch, and I guess I’ve been pretty standoffish with him, so he thought that talking about himself first would help, and I guess it did. He told me that he was a Ranger and I asked if he knew you and he remembered you vaguely too.”

“What regiment was he in?”

“27th.”

“Zidan?”

“Yes!”

“Oh, yeah, I remember him, he was skilled, focused, but he got a lot of shit because his family’s middle eastern, I can’t remember the region or country, but I don’t know if I was ever told. I didn’t ask. He was there for the same reason we all were, and I had respect for him we just didn’t work together much. So he’s your new partner?”

“Temporary partner.” Jay took a relaxing breath. Knowing that she meant it, she was going to come back. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So you talked to OA.” Jay felt a little guilty, but not much. He’d called some people, who called some people, who were able to give him OA’s contact info, and then he gave OA a call. It was nice to catch up but Jay was honest with the reason he called. OA had chuckled, “don’t worry Halstead, I’ve got your girl’s back.” Jay hadn’t corrected him, he was just relieved to put a face and name to who was working with Hailey. OA had teased him a bit, but overall just nodded at the worry in his voice and said “don’t worry, man. She’ll make it back to you safe and sound. She’s a great cop. She was a little rough around the edges when she got here, weighed down by something, but she’s evolved in such a short period of time. I’d vouch for her. I even heard my boss wanted to offer her a spot,” Jay sucked in a breath as his body went numb and started to sweat, “doubt she’ll take it though. She misses Chicago, her friends, and her family. She misses you.”

“Yeah, well, I needed to make sure that he knew what would happen if he didn’t keep you safe.”

“You didn’t have to do that for me.”

“I did have to do that, just not for you. For me. The world has gotten a heck of a lot more dangerous pretty damn fast, I needed him to know that you have to come home to me- us. That you’re needed here.”

“Okay.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Tell him to stop yelling at officer River.” Is the only greeting she gets from a visibly cross Voight before the phone is straight-up thrown at her partner. “Hey there troublemaker.”

“He’s exaggerating, Hails.”

“I’m sure he is.” The sarcasm dripping off her lips was practically visible. It took Jay a moment to realize that he’d been staring at them and wondering how they’d feel against his or if he brushed his thumb across them, he shook his head before looking into her concerned, soulful eyes.

“How are you doing?”

“Pretty good actually, I mean I still miss you and everyone else like crazy, but because of the pandemic we were able to get a lot more intel on some of the perps we were after and less resistance because so many people in their circles are getting sick. We’ve even been able to make a bunch of high-profile arrests.”

“That’s great, but, uh, you’re not having too much fun in NYC are you?”

“Not even remotely. I can’t wait to get home to you.” His heart skipped a beat and then began to ache for her more. “Seriously, as proud as I am with my accomplishments at the FBI while I’ve been here, I’m really starting to resent this city. I just want to be home. With you.”

“I feel exactly the same way, I promise.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Upton, something’s wrong with Jay.”

“What do you mean?” Hailey looked terrified, the last time something was wrong with him he ended up getting kidnapped and shot. “Someone facetimed him earlier, and at first we all thought it was you... But then his face just changed, it became cold, unreadable. He answered the call in the break room, but he shut the door and the blinds. Ever since he’s been walking around like a zombie.”

“Pass him the phone.”

“Hey Upton.”

*Okay, he called me Upton, not a good start.* “What’s up, Jay?”

“Did you know that Erin was working in the same building as you?”

“I haven’t seen her at all, but I’d have to imagine that she at least works in the vicinity of the headquarters.”

“Well, she’s seen you. And, uh, apparently, she was going to talk to you but then your phone rang, it was last week when Adam-”

“Bought the wrong kind of chocolate for Kim, yeah, that was actually pretty funny. Sorry, continue.”

“Well, she uh, she stuck around and just eavesdropped on the whole call. It didn’t sit well with her apparently, because she called me this morning. She was I don’t know- unhappy? Pissed? But it was all just really weird, because of how she and I left things, and she said that she’s going to be keeping an eye on you. And not in a ‘hey your friend is visiting my city? Yeah, I’ll keep an eye on ‘em, don’t worry’ way. It was in an ‘I don’t trust this girl around my boyfriend’ kinda way. And I know that she’s fluent in Voight, so she’ll figure out pretty damn quick why you’re there, if she hasn’t already, and I’m just really worried for you.”

“That’s not all you’re worried about. I can tell. Spill it, Jay. You know you can talk to me.”

“She was acting like I cheated on her. And she said she still loves me, and I’m just upset she thought it was okay to talk to me like that, about that. I know I made some pretty big mistakes in our relationship, and I know that at least half of the fault falls on me, but it just made me feel dirty, and angry.”

Hailey’s face had softened, and honestly, it just made Jay’s day a thousand times better. “I don’t know if this will make you feel any better, but my time at the FBI has come to an end, and I’ll be getting on a plane to Chicago tomorrow afternoon. I mean, I’ll still have to self-quarantine when I get back for fourteen days, but at least I’ll be home.”

“... So what you’re saying is I won’t be able to see you in person for another two weeks?”

“Sorry, Jay.”

“Damn, just when I think my luck has changed.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I feel bad.”

“Don’t. Vanessa is fine, she’s been a good buffer between Atwater and Jordan, and Vinessa likes having another girl around. Plus there’s the whole Vinessa, Vanessa thing. They’ve been having fun.”

“I still feel bad.”

“Do we need to call her and ask her if she’s mad at you?”

“... No, she’d just yell at me for feeling guilty over nothing.”

“See? Nothing to feel bad about. How are you holding up?”

“I am bored out of my miiiiiiiinnnnnnd.” She groaned and fell back against her couch, pouting at Jay. He smiled softly, giving her a sympathetic and sad look. He knew how bad she felt, he wanted to see her too. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and just hold her.

“I’ve been taking the time to learn how to cook. Mostly with my grandmother’s cookbook, but I found some recipes online, maybe I could drop off some food for you.”

“What does Will say about your cooking?” She was smiling, knowing Will’s opinion on Jay’s cooking.

“Hey, hey, hey now, this conversation isn’t about him.” Jay was laughing, Will’s rants about his previously shitty cooking were widely known among their social circle. “I have gotten much better, I promise. I, uh, I’ve been learning some recipes that I really think you’ll like.”

“I look forward to it Jay, I really do.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hailey’s quarantine was almost over, and Jay was buzzing on the edge of his seat. Before work he’d dropped by with a bag filled with numerous containers of food. Most of it was old traditional Irish food, but he’d tried his hand at a few Greek recipes, hoping to impress Hailey. So when her bubbly face popped up on his screen, he jumped up and took the video call to the breakroom. “Hi Hails-”

“I love you,” his heart actually skipped a beat and his nerve endings heated up “so much right now. This food is AMAZING. And you made Greek food. Keftethes, Souvlaki, Spanikopita, and Baklava. This was so sweet, you didn’t have to do this for me.”

“It, uh, it wasn’t anything special. Really.”

“Thank you Jay. And, I meant it. I love you, Jay.”

“I love you too, Hailey. More than you know.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BONUS

“Guys, guys-”

“What is it, Ruzek. I know that we’re all starved for something to do since the commissioner put us all on grunt work after our suspension, but you need to stop just running into the room like you have news, man.”

“Yeah, what is it this time, the vending machines got refilled?”

“Upstead has sailed, they’re a thing! I just heard them talking! Oh, come on, guys. Atwater, you believe me right? Rojas? Voight?” They shook their heads, wondering if Ruzek had finally snapped after all the pressure they’d been under because of their suspension and involvement in the Black Lives Matter movement.

“Hey, hey, everyone, I just heard Hailey and Jay talking about how they love each other over the phone!”

“Finally!”

“Hallelujah!”

“I’ll get their HR forms started.”

“Oh come on, you believe Kim and not me?”


	7. Dirty Ass Car

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vinessa and Kim bond during her pregnancy.

After Jordan came back Vinessa followed. Kevin was pretty preoccupied with Jordan so he didn’t have a whole lot of time for his sister. Kim, despite being heavily pregnant, did. She was actually very grateful for Vinessa, being on maternity leave would be much more boring if she didn’t have someone to hang out with while intelligence was working. At first, Kim thought that Vinessa was pitying her a bit, but Vinessa quickly shut that down. Kim had always been like a big motherly, sister to her, even after she and Jordan had moved they kept in constant contact. So when it came down to it, Vinessa was the one who planned the baby shower. There had been a few offers from some family and friends, but when Vinessa came to Kim about it, she knew who it had to be. 

Vinessa stood back, proud of her work. She’d ‘rented’ Molly’s two, a restaurant Hermann and Lily had started up. There were pastel rainbow decorations everywhere, the food table had just been loaded up by Lily, and the game tables had been set up. “Vinessa, this looks beautiful! Thank you, so much.” 

“I was happy to do it, Kim, really.” 

People started funnelling in, gifts they were told not to bring in tow. As a result, they were all shoved into a corner with an exasperated “you guys!”. There were shouts of laughter and warm congratulations and Vinessa felt a bit misty-eyed. “Hey, Vinessa, it was really sweet of you to do this, we both really appreciate you doing all this. So Kim and I were talking and we were wondering if you would be okay with being referred to as ‘auntie Vinessa’? We figured you might not want to be godmother but-” 

“Really?” 

“Yes, you’re really important to us.” 

“Thank you, Adam. You guys mean a lot to me too.” 

“Alright, I’ll get Kim, she didn’t want to be in front of you in case you said no, she’s been really quick to tears lately.” 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

The baby shower had been a rousing success. Adam and Kevin ran interference to make sure Kim cried as little as possible, Lily and Peter made sure the food never ran out, and Vinessa spent the entire night being hugged and kissed on the cheek by Kim. Vinessa felt pretty damn proud of herself. Three weeks after the shower she and Kim were watching The Lion King II when her contractions started. It didn’t happen like it does in the movies or TV shows, Kim felt a contraction and began timing them. She didn’t get up, panic, or scream that she was in labour. “I don’t need to go until my contractions are seven minutes apart. Plus they might just be Braxton Hicks again, don’t worry.” Why the hell would anyone go through false labour? Why can’t it just be a one and done type deal? Why does female anatomy cause so much pain? Vinessa was happy to help Kim but she made a promise to herself that she would never get pregnant. 

After two more contractions, Vinessa was officially freaking out. “Are you sure we shouldn’t be going to the hospital? I feel like we should be going to the hospital.” 

“They’re ten minutes apart Vinessa, I’ll be fine. Here, let’s turn the movie back on to help you focus on something else.”

“Or we could go to the hospital.”

“Nope, now come on, the movie’s starting.”

“Kim...”

“Vinessa...”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had taken another three hours but Kim’s contractions were finally seven minutes apart. Vinessa spent the entire car ride texting anyone she could get a hold of what was going on. Kim was in the middle of her sixty-seventh “I’m fine Vinessa” when her water broke. “ ‘I’m fine Vinessa’ my ass!”

“You better not give birth in my car lady!”

“Damn right she’s not gonna give birth in your dirty ass car! NOW DRIVE!”

“... I thought I was the one who was supposed to be irrationally angry...”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fiona Calina Ruzek was born at 11:27 pm weighing eight pounds and six ounces, completely healthy, and with delighted family surrounding her. Only the members from the 21st, along with Vinessa and Jordan, stayed until they were let in the room to see the happy family. Adam had asked that Vinessa, Kevin, and Jordan come in first, in part because Vinessa is the one who got Kim to the hospital and in part because they had a very important question for her. “Vinessa?” She looked up from her place in the armchair holding a sleeping Baby Fiona, her arms and the baby’s body resting on a pillow that was on Vinessa’s lap. “Yeah, Kim?”

“We uh- Adam and I were wondering if you would be Fiona’s godmother? You just, you’ve already done so much for her and you’re family and-”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I love you both so much, you- you’re the big sister Jordan and I always needed but didn’t get by blood. You and Fiona and Adam, you’re my family too. I would love to be Fiona’s godmother.” Kim smiled, exhausted and with tears in her eyes, but she was so, so happy. Vinessa meant so much to her and loved her so much, and she’d been worried that Vinessa, and Jordan and Kevin even, would feel abandoned once she had the baby, but as she saw the way her entire little family was holding and cooing at her newly awoken baby girl, she knew everything would be just fine.


End file.
